Echoes of Darkness
by PixelSylveon
Summary: It was like any other day in Po Town. The air was dewy, and the morning was quiet, since most Team Skull grunts couldn't be bothered to get up before noon. But it didn't last for Sol, thanks to her mischief-causing mimikyu, and a run in with a grumpy newbie. Or, at least, she wished that was all she had to worry about. And then the shadow pokemon attacked. Cross-posted from ao3.
1. Dew Drops

The scent of rain was fresh, and the pavement outside was soaked through. The sky above was a bright blue, however, with only the odd cloud to gracefully float in front of the late morning sun. It was a nice sight, I thought, hoping to head outside soon, anyway. I pulled the dark blue curtains back over the window, effectively blanketing my room in darkness.

Po Town was always quiet in the mornings, but that was only because most grunts slept until eleven. They were party animals, and crazy teenagers, and had no one to scold them of their behaviour, so it was fine for them to do whatever they wanted. Or so they thought.

I really hated stepping over sleeping bodies on the way to the kitchen, though. Right outside the door of my room, this time. I can't freaking believe it. Couldn't they at least sleep _against a wall or something_? A frustrated huff puffed past my lips as I stretched my leg over the splayed body, tiptoeing over the dude as quietly as I could manage. I lifted up my back leg, and felt something grab onto my ankle.

A sound that could only be described as a shrieking mimikyu fled from my throat, and I ripped my leg away from whatever grabbed me, the extra momentum propelling me against the hallway wall. I turned around quickly, getting a mouthful of my hair in the process, and glared at the body still flopped out on the floor as I pulled the hair out of my mouth. The not-corpse grinned at me sheepishly, a sleepy-smug look dancing in the Skull grunt's eyes.

"Morris, what the fuck," I hissed half-heartedly, too busy trying to pick the stray hair off of my tongue. _Arceus, why do I have to lose so much hair._ My words came out as a lisp, which caused Morris to laugh.

"Your morning call never fails, sweetheart. You could wake the dead with those lungs of yours!" He called after me, and I waved him off. I didn't quite want to wake the building full of tired grunts, but it wasn't an unusual occurrence. They would deal. Maybe.

As I entered the kitchen, a girl with lavender hair bounded up to me, a mug designed after a carnivine held in her hands. "Morning, _Soleil_!" She giggled, bouncing on her heels. I peered into her cup, eyeing the black bean water suspiciously.

"You... didn't put espresso in that, did you, Effie?" I asked timidly, looking from the cup back up the energetic girl. Her smile widened in response.

"Dear Tapus, never do that again. And _can you not_ call me Soleil? It's Sol, you shithead." Another laugh escaped Effie as she moved to sit on one of the stools that surrounded the small kitchen island. I glanced around the - _once again_ \- messy kitchen, internally screaming at the piled-up dishes in the sink, until my gaze landed on the coffee pot. _There's some left!_

I pulled a mug from the cupboards, helping myself to the intense bean water, and then sat down next to Effie, across from two other grunts who were busy watching something on a smartphone.

"Hey, did ya hear?" The blond one holding the phone piped up, though his eyes didn't leave the device. "Apparently pokemon have started attackin' peeps left 'n right."

I rested my chin in my free hand, the other securely wrapped around my coffee mug. "Pokemon don't just _attack_ people, Hunter, unless they're provoked," I muttered, eyes narrowed at the blond grunt.

"'Parently they were unprovoked, though," he replied matter-of-factly, nudging his pink-haired companion. "Frey here thinks something is happening to the pokemon, yo."

"It doesn't matter what I think," Frey replied softly, looking away from Hunter. Their expression softened, as if they were lost in thought. The blond scoffed.

"All the psychic types _flock_ to you, my friend. Your opinion matters," Hunter replied.

"Either way, I'm certain we'll hear more information about it later." I chugged the rest of my coffee in one fell swoop, and stood to go clean it out. "We'll just be careful in the mean time, right?"

Effie hummed a few notes that escalated in pitch, and slammed her hand down on the counter as I walked towards the sink, making me jump in surprise. "Oh, right! Aren't we getting a new person today or something?"

I turned around to face the island. "New person?" Frey and Hunter looked up from their shared phone, eyebrows creased in thought.

"Oh, he's not technically _new_ ," Frey began. "I think he's been around for a bit just doing odd jobs. What was his name?" Frey turned to look at Hunter, who shrugged in response.

"Yeah, I don't know either," Effie chirped. I hummed in reply, and turned back around to wash out my cup.

* * *

As soon as I stepped outside to do some training, my pokemon released themselves from their balls, and I was face-to-face with my minior, Pixel. On the ground, a little ways away, sat my mimikyu, Glitch, who stared at me blankly.

I stared back, unfazed by the ghost type's precarious nature, and softly pushed Pixel to float _beside_ me. "Are you two alright with fighting each other for now?" A chime that sounded like pebbles falling on top of one another came from Pixel, while Glitch merely grumbled in reply.

I shook my head, knowing that Glitch would like to fight something, or someone, other than Pixel or the other grunts' pokemon, but I wasn't too keen on leaving Po Town any time soon, unless it was to grab groceries back in Malie City. Staying behind and taking care of base operations was a lot easier than some of the jobs we were given.

And by base operations, I mean making sure Po Town wasn't an _absolute_ garbage pile.

A rumble from Glitch caught my attention. She was shaking wildly, flailing around her wooden tail, eyes sparkling something mischievous. And then she shot off like an arcanine using extreme speed, leaving a dust trail behind.

I cursed, eyeballing the direction she ran towards. _The entrance to Po Town? But why?_ Motioning for Pixel to follow me, I ran after the mimikyu, dodging the haphazardly strewn barriers and debris. I skidded around a wall-like fence, and crashed into something, sending me and the unfortunate thing to the ground in a heap.

Beside me, from on top of the fence, I heard chuckling that could _only_ belong to Glitch. I groaned, not wanting to open my eyes and see what - who? - I crashed in to. A groan from below me made me panic, and I shuffled myself away from the unfortunate soul, giving them enough space to sit up.

The blond had a choppy haircut, and his green eyes narrowed into a fine glare in my direction. I gulped, feeling the irritation he carried as if it had wrapped its self around me, ready to suffocate me, if it had to. He used one hand to prop himself up in to a sitting position, while the other hovered over the eye that was shadowed by bangs.

"Exactly _why_ did you have to do that?" He grumbled as he moved to stand, sending shivers down my spine. He would have towered over me, even if I wasn't currently sitting on the ground with a pretty rock floating over my head.

Scary.

"I was running after my pokemon," I replied, pointing my index toward Glitch, who giggled her creepy giggle once again, swinging her wooden tail idly.

A grunt with bright orange hair stopped the blond from whatever he was going to say. "Hey, Gladion, Guzma wants to see you." Gladion rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

"I figured as much. Isn't that why I'm here to begin with?"

Wow. What a smartass.

Glitch jumped down from her perch on the fence, landing squarely in my lap. A rustling off to the side caught our attention, and before I could tell what was happening, her shadowy arm extended out, swiping at a nearby bush.

And then all hell broke loose.

Like releasing an incineroar into a ring match, a hoard of pokemon sprang into the town. From behind the bushes, from the trees, from atop the Po Town wall, a swarm of pokemon with glowing eyes descended on the Team Skull hideout, groaning and screeching and cawing.

More grunts came outside, probably wondering what the commotion was, and I raced to my feet, Glitch safely in my arms. They released their pokemon, and looked around in confusion.

From behind Gladion, a bewear stalked forward, ready to strike. With a gasp, I shuffled Glitch to sit on my shoulder, and tugged the boy forward by the collar of his hoodie. Bewear's arm swung past in a blur, the air from it ruffling Gladion's hair. His eyes widened in shock, breath coming out in quick puffs.

I reached for his sleeve and tugged him forward, Pixel following behind us after sending a group of rocks hurtling toward the pokemon. Before us, the imposing pokemon attacked indiscriminately, and screams could be heard all around as trainers were struck by moves normally meant for the more defensive pokemon they tamed.

Once I was certain we were far enough away we could assess the situation, I stopped running, with Gladion coming to a halt a few feet ahead of me.

"What the hell?" He hissed, hand covering his one eye, the other holding his elbow. With a flick of his wrist, his hand grabbed a pokeball and released a beast of a pokemon. A large, copper-like helmet sat on the quadruped's head, the rest of its limbs an alien assortment. It didn't seem real. I wanted to ask what exactly it was, but it would have to wait.

There was no more than a dozen pokemon out for the kill, but they were using underhanded tactics, and seemed to be in an insatiable rage. Galdion's pokemon charged forward, attacking whatever came close to us.

"Pixel, use stealth rock around the other grunts!" I called out. Pixel chimed in acknowledgement and floated off, doing what it could to protect my teammates. Glitch jumped from off of my shoulder, waving around her shadowy limbs dramatically at any pokemon Gladion's partner couldn't get to.

More grunts came out to help, their pokemon backing up whoever needed it. The bewear from before raced towards us once again, but this time we were prepared.

"Null, use crush claw!" The beast leapt forward, raising its talons towards the bewear, then striking down. It cried out in pain as Null jumped back, safely avoiding a hammer arm.

From my right, a cold wind made me shiver. It dug into my skin, and I yelped and jumped back, eyeing my now ice-bitten bare arm. Glitch ticked wildly, then sunk into the ground, racing towards whatever attacked me in the shadows. A mass of white was flung forward soon after, and an Alolan vulpix fell face-first into the pavement. The vulpix stood up soon after, dodging a wood hammer from Glitch. The ice type turned around and aimed another icy wind at me, which would have hit if Gladion didn't tug me towards him.

"Pay attention," he barked before his eyes turned back toward Null. I shot him a glare, annoyed by his haughty attitude, then focused back on Glitch and the vulpix.

"Shadow sneak, Glitch!" She sunk back into the ground, racing towards the vulpix. With a well-timed jump, Glitch slammed herself against the vulpix, sending the ice type flying once again. Glitch rotated between shadow sneaks and wood hammers, wearing down the vulpix as it tried to fight back.

Seeing as it was ready to faint, I pulled an empty pokeball off my belt, and flung it at the wild pokemon. The vulpix was absorbed in red light, and the ball fell to the ground, rocking back and forth wildly. It clicked - once, twice, three times - and then a final 'ding' signalled the vulpix was caught.

A sigh passed my lips as Glitch carried the pokeball back to me, and I picked her and the contraption up gratefully. A quick look around suggested that the other wild pokemon had been defeated or captured, and I smiled to myself in relief.

Gladion called Null back beside him and moved in front of me, hands on his hips and expression stern. "We need to do something with the pokemon that just attacked us." I shrugged, rolling my eyes.

"What would you like _me_ to do about it? I'm just a grunt!" I pouted, glaring at him once again. His glare matched my own, and I shrank back a few steps. "We _might_ have some cages lying around, though I hate to admit it." I shuffled my feet, looking everywhere but at the glaring guy before me. My hand instinctively went to the plastic bracelets around my wrist, and fiddled with them mindlessly.

"Well, then? Let's move. Lead the way."

I sighed once again, heading in the direction of the cages.

* * *

With the help of the grunts that weren't injured in the battle, we successfully locked up the malicious pokemon until we knew what to do with them. I stood in front of the cages, chin in my hand, thinking of any possible reason they could have attacked.

 _Mind you, didn't Frey say earlier that there had been reports of this very thing happening?_ I hummed, nibbling my lip. Why _would_ pokemon go out of their way to organize an attack against a group of people?

... Team Skull wasn't the best thing around, but we weren't _terrible_ to pokemon like groups from other regions.

Footsteps echoed from behind, and then Gladion came to a stop beside me. "Apparently this isn't the first incident," he confirmed, hand once again on his hip. I shrugged, not knowing what to reply with.

"Is it a disease or something?" I asked, gears slowly turning in my head.

"Maybe."

"Then we should go to a professor and see if they know anything... right?" At this point I was just talking to myself. But going to a professor made the most sense - after all, they were experts on pokemon. "I'm pretty certain I use to live by one," I added quietly. "Yeah. Kukui. He should know."

Without waiting for a reply from Gladion, I turned around, ready to pack for my impromptu trip back to Melemele.

"Where are _you_ going?" His voice called out as I began to walk away. His footsteps raced after mine, and I groaned loudly.

"Grabbing my shit and going to find a professor!" I called back at him, entering the house I shared with Effie and the others. Gladion swore as I slammed the door in his face, and I couldn't help but giggle at his exasperation.

The door creaked open once more, and his steps slammed against the tile as his long strides caught up to me. "I'm coming with you," he stated, arms crossed as I looked at him over my shoulder.

"Only if you don't act like _this_ the whole time," I replied, gesturing to him in a wide arc. "Now let me grab my shit _in peace_."

Another door slam, and I was back in my dark room.


	2. Ember Pools

Clouds had blanketed the sky by the time I had gathered my things and begrudgingly walked out onto Route 17 with Gladion in tow, his own bag swung over his shoulder carelessly. He insisted he would come along, saying that Guzma had told him to look into the matter.

It didn't _really_ matter to me if he came along, or not. I just hoped he wouldn't be a prick with a maractus shoved up his ass the whole time.

I checked my phone quickly before pocketing it, then looked beside me at Gladion. "We have one pit stop, and then we'll head down to Ula'ula Beach." With that, I started walking.

"Why the beach?" Gladion asked, long strides causing him to catch up to me easily. I smiled.

"Mantine surfing is a lot easier than trying to board a ferry - cheaper, too," I replied, the slight spring in my step taking me farther down the road.

Gladion sputtered behind me. "Mantine surfing? I don't know how."

"You'll learn! It's _easy._ " I heard a sigh come from Gladion, and I laughed in reply. Nothing felt better than turning the tables on someone.

We came upon the police station with its sole occupant, and I walked up to the door and knocked. I looked back at Gladion, who quirked a brow at me, and I shrugged in reply.

The door opened, revealing an older, greying man with a handful of Alolan meowth mewling away by his feet. I raised my hand in greeting. "Hey, Nanu, how's it going?" The man looked blankly at me, then nodded to himself.

"Oh, Sol. What's up?" He moved back into the station, motioning for us to come in. We followed after him, standing inside the entrance. I took that moment to tell him what happened in Po Town, and he listened intently, nodding as he leaned against a desk, meowth rubbing up against him.

"There have been reports, lately," Nanu stated after, hand tapping his chin in thought. "Though I don't know if Professor Kukui will know anything about it."

"Someone has to know _something_ about it," I said, absently playing with my bracelets. "Has this ever happened in Alola before?"

Instead of replying, Nanu moved to sit in front of a computer, pulling up a database. He entered something, and with a slam of the enter key, files began to appear on screen. I leaned over, trying to see what the documents entailed.

"Not Alola," Nanu confirmed. "But another region. Orre, by the looks of things."

A startled noise came from Gladion, and I glanced back at him, giving him a questioning look. "The Orre region? Isn't that where that team experimented on pokemon?"

"What." _Pokemon experimentation? The hell?_

"The very one. You're thinking of Team Cipher. And the two shadow pokemon incidents that happened there."

"Shadow pokemon?" I echoed, a sense of dread beginning to well up in the pit of my stomach.

"Cipher artificially closed off the pokemons' hearts," Nanu explained, "effectively creating emotionless pokemon that could fight to the death."

"Oh." _So why are they in Alola, now_?

Gladion voiced my thoughts, and Nanu shrugged in reply. "That's all I can tell you, kiddos. You're gonna have to get Kukui to contact a professor from Orre and see what to do from there."

I sighed and pulled out my phone, making a note of the information. "Thanks, Nanu." He swivelled around in the computer chair to face us.

"Let me know what you find. I'll keep an eye on the ones you caged up, in the mean time."

* * *

Gladion stared down at the water on Route 15. "The pokemon centre loaned me a lapras to use last time," he murmured, hands once again shoved into his pockets. He was covered head to toe in black clothing - hoodie and jeans in this weather, _really?_ Sure it was overcast, but it was still hotter than the back of a camerupt. Either way, it wasn't ideal to get more clothes wet than absolutely necessary.

"There's literally a pokemon centre right there," I said, pointing up the hill at the building. "Just. Go change into swim trunks or something. I have my mantine - we can both ride on her." Gladion quirked a brow at me.

"But _you're_ wearing jeans. I should be fine," he replied defiantly, crossing his arms.

With a defiant look of my own, I stepped out of my sandals and began undoing the belt on my jeans. Gladion's face turned bright red, and he wheeled around, a disgruntled sound escaping him. "What are you _doing?_ "

I pulled off my jeans, revealing black board shorts underneath. "We literally live in Alola, you fuckwit. Who _doesn't_ wear swimming clothes underneath their regular clothes?" I shoved my jeans into my bag, then reattached my belt so it fell on my hips. I tapped the net ball, releasing my mantine, Hibiscus, into the water. She greeted me cheerfully, and I squatted to face her properly.

"How do you feel about carrying some extra weight just down the route?" I asked her. She cooed in reply, fins splashing the water playfully. I stood back up, and turned to face Gladion.

"Well? Go get changed." He groaned and walked off towards the pokemon centre, muttering something under his breath.

I shrugged to Hibiscus. "Hopefully we can put up with him."

Gladion returned a few minutes later, hoodie and jeans replaced with a black t-shirt and red swim trunks, his bag still slung over his shoulder lopsidedly. I didn't wait for him to get to the beach before wading into the water to climb onto Hibiscus. He followed suit, and then we were off, sitting cross-legged on the giant manta ray.

* * *

After that, it didn't take much longer to reach Ula'ula Beach. The walk was mostly quiet, since we didn't have much to say outside of sarcastic quips. The beach wasn't as crowded as it normally was, thanks the clouds blotting the sky. The attendant to the mantine greeted us with a wave and grin.

"Looking to do some surfing today, Sol?" He asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. Gotta go to Melemele for an errand."

"Sounds like a plan! I'll go grab the equipment for you and your friend." With that, he disappeared inside a striped, canvas booth.

"I still don't know how to surf," Gladion commented, expression deadpan. I waved off his remark, hand on my hip as I replied.

"The mantine do most of the work, anyway. As long as you have a decent sense of balance, you should be fine." He titled his head at me, eyes narrowed to a point. "Oh, come on. I won't let you _drown_ or anything."

"I'd prefer to be alive for a bit longer, thanks."

A cacophony of sudden screams jolted the both of us around, and my eyes met a growling pack of houndour. Embers dripped from their mouths like drool, and their eyes glowed a menacing red as they barked and jumped at the few other beach-goers.

 _Oh, dear Arceus, not again_. I released Hibiscus, and Gladion sent out a different pokemon from before - a midnight form lycanroc. The rock type glared at the houndour and pounded its fists together, then released an ear-splitting howl.

"Stone edge!" Gladion called out. The lycanroc slammed its fist into the ground, and sent a row of pointed stalagmites towards the houndour. A few jumped out of the way; the rest were sent flying into the air, howling in surprise.

"Bubblebeam, Hibiscus!" From behind me, Hibiscus sent out a jet of bubbles at the air-born houndour, slamming them into the nearby cliff face. The houndour that had evaded the attacks dashed forward, sending streams of fire our way. I had to jump to the side, and almost bumped into Gladion, who let out a soft "oomph". I nearly froze at the sight of his burned arm that he clutched, fingers digging into the skin to ignore the pain.

"Gladion, we need to do something about -"

"Not now," he hissed, ordering another stone edge. His lycanroc sent out another wave of rocks towards the fire types, trapping the ones that had been previously tossed against the cliff side.

A wail of sirens caught everyone's attention; police cars came screaming onto the beach, waves of sand dusting the surrounding area, making it hard to see. When it settled, officers were out with partner shiinotic, and ordered them to use sleep powder on the houndour, effortlessly putting them all to sleep.

Two officers walked up to us as we recalled our pokemon, and I took another quick look at Gladion's arm. It was beginning to blister in the area that was hit by the houndour's ember, and red and swelling a good portion of the way around. Hopefully it wasn't too painful. With a quick motion to Gladion's arm directed at the officers, hoping they would understand I was going to get a first-aid kit for him, I ran off to the tent the mantine handler had gone into.

He greeted me warmly, life jackets hung over his shoulder, helmet straps clutched in his hands. I told him about the houndour that had just attacked, and his smile melted into a frown, eyebrows knitted together in worry. "We should have a first-aid kit in the cupboard there," he said, pointing with his head at the cupboard in question. "I'll go talk to the officers, in the mean time." As he exited, I made my way to the cupboards. It was easy enough to find the kit, and with that, I made my way back to Gladion, who had taken a seat on a piece of driftwood.

"Is it still burning?" I asked, standing in front of him. He looked up at me, then shrugged in reply.

"It's fine."

"Hold out your arm, then." I moved to kneel beside him, then opened the kit, locating the aloe vera gel and gauze. Beside me, Gladion sighed, but did as instructed. I made quick work of applying the gel to his burned arm, then wrapped it loosely in the gauze. After putting the items away and closing the kit, I stood up, eyeing his bandage wearily.

"It's gonna be hard to mantine surf with your arm like that," I murmured, mostly to myself, crossing my arms. Gladion rolled his eyes.

"I suppose we could _walk all the way_ to Malie then. And get attacked by more pokemon, with our luck."

"Or I could leave you here while _I_ go to Melemele," I countered.

The mantine attendant had waved off the officers, and walked back over to us. "I have my personal boat here if you two need a ride to Malie port," he offered. "After all, you two helped keep those rogue pokemon at bay!" He laughed at his own horrible pun, and I shook my head, laughing with him.

"That would be great, if you don't mind."


	3. Fake Out

The ocean breeze was relaxing, if a bit chilly, as we made our way to Malie City. Sol had decided to ride her mantine, and was currently following the wake the boat left behind. Her cotton-candy hair was tied in a braid behind her, and she had shoved her skull tank into her bag earlier to favour her space-themed swimming top. Her mimikyu was sitting in the seat opposite me, seeming to enjoy the salt spray as it huddled beside her bag.

I had let out my lycanroc and umbreon, Orpheus and Yohane, and they rested by my feet. Orpheus was snoring soundly, but Yohane's yellow eyes kept glancing back up at me, and my now bandaged and covered arm, from time to time.

The mantine handler had taken to playing the radio obnoxiously loudly after trying to initiate conversation and failing miserably, and so crude pop tunes floated along with the salty spray. I rubbed the sides of my head, feeling the onset of a headache starting. It _was_ nice of him to ferry us over to Malie, but I had no idea what we were to do after we got there.

As far as I was aware, both Sol and I were broke. It was a normal part of being a Skull grunt - what money grunts _did_ earn from odd jobs and thievery generally paid for a few meals, and maybe some supplies for their pokemon, if they were lucky. Or good at pickpocketing.

Personally, I would much rather find trainers to battle - stealing rubbed me the wrong way, as ironic as it felt. I just wasn't certain if we would have the time to, or not.

* * *

Malie Port was bustling with activity as we thanked the mantine handler and found our way back to solid ground. Sol, Skull tank back on and bag slung over her shoulders, eyed the Ula'ula Ferry Terminal with a look of discontent.

"I can't believe how much ferry tickets are now!" She huffed, crossing her arms as her eyes narrowed. I rolled my eyes and moved past her, towards the pokemon centre to change clothes and have Null and Orpheus healed. She stuttered out my name, footsteps pounding on the concrete to catch up to my long strides.

The sound of two people colliding caught my attention, and I whirled around to see what trouble Sol got herself into. She had fallen to the ground, one hand holding herself for balance while the other rubbed her forehead. She glared at the man before her, who seemed to tower over the both of us. All I could see was his back; but his buzz cut and stance gave off an air of intimidation.

"Watch where you're going, punk," the man drawled, hands squared into fists. A crowd began to form, wondering what the commotion was about. He must have noticed Sol's tank, as his voice became laced with malice. "What were ya tryin' to do? Rob me?" He ran his hands over his pockets, checking to see if anything was out of place.

In response, the crowd booed.

On the eastern side of Ula'ula, most residents didn't have to worry about Skull grunts, and harboured no ill feelings towards them - it was probably Nanu's doing, honestly. But here, as well as the rest of Alola, people seemed to hate Team Skull.

I couldn't really blame them, either.

"You're the one who walked in front of me!" Sol retaliated, standing back up, arms crossed over her chest once again. She moved to pass Buzz Cut, but he moved in front of her, denying her from leaving the "conversation".

"Give me back what you stole, bitch," he growled, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his pants. Sol's eyes widened, and she reached for her pokeballs.

I wanted to step in and get her out of the escalating situation, but with the prying eyes of the audience, I wasn't certain what I _could_ do. A confuse ray form Yohane on Buzz Cut would work, but it would draw even more attention. I bit down on my lip, trying to think of a way to get the crowd to buzz off, or _something_.

Buzz Cut continued to yell and slug profanities at Sol, who looked almost ready to cry - wait. _What?_ Tears welled up from her eyes, and began to streak down her face. She used one hand to wipe the tears away, small sobs and hiccups escaping her, while her other hand tapped Glitch's pokeball, releasing the mimikyu who quickly slunk into the shadows. The spectators, as well as Buzz Cut, seemed to take no notice of this as Sol's wails increased in volume.

 _Is she using fake tears? What is she, a pokemon?_

"W-why do you have to say that _to a girl?_ " She cried out, now using both hands to haphazardly wipe away her tears. The audience ceased their babbling, staring at the sobbing Skull grunt in shock.

 _I can't believe it. She pulled_ that _card of all things?_ I slapped my hand to my face, groaning at the realization of _what_ she was doing. I guess she really _was_ a Skull grunt.

Buzz Cut was taken aback by the situation, hands raised in front of him in mock surrender, and the crowd had begun to boo at him, as well. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a moving shadow along the pavement, rushing around in the shadows of the crowd.

 _Oh, no_.

Sol finally pushed past Buzz Cut, still wiping her tears away, face red and eyes puffy. When her eyes met mine, she flashed a grin and wink, and I could do nothing but stare incredulously at her.

I began to walk away, her following me once again. Once she reached my side, she looked back to her old self, save for the slightly redder face. "What a bastard," she said offhandedly, a laugh following her comment.

When we reached the pokemon centre, she pulled me along to a shady part beside the building, and Glitch materialized from the shadows, coughing up a wad of bills and spare change.

"You stole from those people," it was an observation, more than anything. I was almost impressed at her display from earlier, now, though the fact that she took money from random people wasn't the greatest of things.

"May Giratina punish me," Sol recited, making a quick motion with her hands. "Regardless, Glitch never takes more than necessary, and never all from one person." She picked up the change, counting it out and grinning proudly down at Glitch. The mimikyu hopped onto her shoulder, chattering excitedly.

I sighed. "Do we have enough, then?"

"Exact change, plus tax. Glitch is far better at math than I am."

"This still isn't right."

"We have more important things to worry about, my dude," she replied. "A few tourists aren't going to worry about some spare change."

"You better be right about that."

* * *

One ferry ride to Melemele later, we had arrived at Hau'oli City. I wasn't exactly _thrilled_ to be back home, but dealing with the supposed shadow pokemon had more priority than my comfort.

As much as I hated that fact.

The city was a little more quiet than Malie had been - tourists still bummed around, but there were far more locals going about their day, as well. Trainers and their pokemon were just as numerous - the kids attending the pokemon school were probably on break, or something. Lucky bastards.

I tried to look as inconspicuous as I could with my Skull tank on, but the side eyes and glares from the passersby weren't doing me any favours. Gladion walked quietly beside me, hands back in the pockets of his hoodie. He had changed back before we left - and I switched out my board shorts for the white jean shorts that were a custom of the Team Skull "outfit".

I didn't really make it any easier for myself, I noted, playing with my bracelets idly. But Melemele was generally warmer than Ula'ula, and I was prone to sweating in places _I really didn't want to._

The city soon fanned out from pavement to dirt road as we headed towards the beachfront where Professor Kukui's shack/lab sat. Palm trees slowly grew in number, and the grass began to rise to knee length along the sides of the road. We were dreadfully close to my old home, and I was growing anxious at the fact, more and more, with each step.

But an extra set of clothes would be helpful, if the old bitch actually kept anything of mine.

Sooner than I would have wanted, my old home peaked into view as we climbed a short hill. It looked the same as it had been when I left - side panels looking as if they were ready to fall off, stairs to the porch slowly arching to the side, the paint of the wood peeling with age. A single hanging basket full of trailing portulaca hung over the fence of the porch, flowers blooming madly. I stepped up onto the porch, chest beginning to tighten with my increasing anxiety.

The car wasn't here. I could sneak in, grab some shit, leave. If she left the key in the same place.

It's not like she wouldn't.

I could feel Gladion's stare as I lifted the doormat, a plain brown colour, carpet matted with age and use, and found the spare keys sitting lifelessly under it. I took a breath and grabbed them, dropping the carpet back down after.

"Are you breaking into a house, now?" Gladion asked breathlessly, almost as if he was tired. Or frustrated. Annoyed? Definitely annoyed.

"It's my old house, thanks," I replied bluntly, jamming the key into the doorknob, then unlocking it with the muscle memory I didn't know I still had. I pushed the door open, gently, noting the lack of lights, save for the one bleak bulb above the stove.

I took off my shoes at the door and beckoned Gladion inside, who entered wordlessly. His eyes trailed around the tacky, worn wallpaper, the century old tile on the floor, the Kantonian meowth sleeping soundly on the couch, unaware of our presence.

Straight down the hall was my old room, if it was left alone after all this time. I padded across the floor softly, then gently turned and opened the door to the room, shocked when everything was exactly how I left it.

Save for the dust on the dresser, I guess.

I made quick work of grabbing a few tops to switch in to, mostly so I could avoid any future glares. My old bed was made - something I never did, even now - though the excess pens and plushies were where I had left them. I took another breath, preparing myself to leave, then passed the door, closing it behind me.

With the house locked up, and the key back underneath the welcome mat where it belonged, we headed down the slope towards Kukui's.

* * *

Gladion's expression was _absolutely_ amusing. His eyes had widened, and was currently slack-jawed at the DIY disaster that was Professor Kukui's adobe.

"This... is where the professor is," he muttered, bringing his hands up to his face, then dragging them down, his expression a weird mix of a grimace and the want to run as far away as possible.

Feeling slightly better after walking away from my mother's house as fast as possible, I took the lead and knocked on the door of the lab, praying to the Tapus above that he was around.

It opened after a few moments, shirtless Kukui the same as always. When he realized it was me - in Team Skull get-up, no less - he flung himself back in surprise.

"Soleil!" He cried out. He coughed once, regaining his composure. "You're a part of Team Skull, now, huh?" His voice was softer, now, arms loose at his side. I gave a non-committal shrug.

"Yeah; more importantly, we have information on the pokemon that are attacking people." I motioned between me and Gladion, who looked at Kukui skeptically. In turn, Kukui raised a brow at my statement, and pulled the door wide open, beckoning us in.

After explaining what we could from the files Nanu pulled up, seated on the green sofa, tea and coffee in hand, Kukui hummed thoughtfully to himself, chin rested in his hand in thought. He then stood, and walked towards the bookcase nearby, fingering through the titles for something specific. With a thoughtful "Aha!", he returned to his seat, placing the book on the coffee table.

"Is that a directory for professors, or something?" Gladion inquired, holding his cup of tea gingerly in his lap as he leaned forward to get a better look at the book.

"Close. A directory for labs and the specific work they do, or have done, in the past ten years or so," Kukui replied, opening the book and thumbing through the pages. I couldn't make heads or tails of what was on the pages, sitting cross-legged at one corner of the couch. I was more interested in the delicious tasting coffee currently in my hand, having started to suffer from slight withdrawal of the bean water.

"Ah, here we go," Kukui started. "The Pokemon Coordination Lab, Orre. Professor Krane did work on a purification process for shadow pokemon, by the sounds of it." He ripped off a part of a discarded newspaper, and jotted down the number for the lab. "I'll see if I can contact him." With that, he rose to go use the video phone.

We sat quietly, sipping our drinks, unsure of what was to come next. Our best hope was that someone with expertise could come here and help us, before everything got out of hand.


	4. Run Away

Two days.

Two _whole_ days. Forty-eight hours, for Professor Krane to get to Alola. After Kukui confirmed it, I felt a wave of relief, and a knot of dread, simultaneously well up in my stomach. We had two days to do whatever we wanted, basically. But we had to stay on Melemele.

Anxiety swirled in my stomach.

I wanted to be anywhere _but_ Melemele, in all honesty.

I would _probably_ be fine.

I just couldn't go anywhere near my old house.

The sun cast its orange rays to the ocean as it began its descent, the moon slowly chasing after it. A slight breeze tousled my hair, and I nearly choked on the salty spray it brought with it. Gladion stood off not too far from me, training his pokemon as if his life depended on it. He had discarded his hoodie back at Kukui's, and was currently shouting orders to Null in a tight-fitting t-shirt, re-bandaged arm seeming not to bother him any more.

Glitch and Pixel stood - or in Pixel's case, floated - by me as I considered the fourth team member of my party. It had been when a group of wild shadow pokemon attacked Po Town, that I somehow managed to capture one of them.

I was afraid to release it.

I took in a gulp of air, and crossed the fingers of my free hand as I tossed the ball in anticipation. Gladion must have noticed, as his voice had died down, and the sound of footsteps in the sand caught my attention, forcing my gaze towards his general direction. He stopped beside me, eyes boring into the pokeball.

"Is that the vulpix you caught?" He questioned, arms crossed over his chest. I nodded in reply, looking everywhere but at him.

"I should probably let it out -"

"We have _no idea_ how it will react!" Gladion's voice boomed beside me, and I jumped in surprise. I took another breath in, hoping to calm my racing heart. My hands began to shake, I noticed, as I raised the pokeball to eye level.

I looked at Gladion from the corner of my eyes, studying his concerned, yet angry expression. His frown wavered slightly, almost as if he was questioning himself. He brought a first to his mouth, and coughed to clear his throat. "Sorry."

"What for?"

He cleared his throat again, and looked towards the sunset. "For yelling." He finally looked back towards me, to my arm, that had fallen back to my side. "But still. We have to be careful."

"I know." With that, I tossed the ball underhanded, and then before us was a stock-still Alolan vulpix.

Its eyes were vacant, unlike the eyes of Gladion's umbreon and lycanroc. It was if it ceased to be a sentient being - it was a living machine, is what it was.

I crouched down to the pokemon's height, studying its white fur, its blue eyes that couldn't even reflect the sun's setting rays. I held out my hand to the vulpix, but it made no move to investigate. I frowned, wondering how a pokemon could become so soulless.

"Sit," I commanded. The vulpix sat down on the sand before the word had even finished forming. Its blue eyes still gazed ahead, waiting for its next order.

I sighed, standing back up as Glitch chattered next to me restlessly. I ran my hand through my hair, pushing it out of my eyes. "Well, fuck."

Gladion hummed. "Tell it to follow you."

I did, and began walking around the beach in aimless patterns. The vulpix stayed two paces behind me the whole time, even as I zigzagged and ran through the sand, and into the water. Content with what discoveries we made for the evening, I returned it to its ball, and fell to my sandy grave, groaning as my body hit the soft earth.

"This sucks," I managed, staring up at the sky. Gladion loomed over me, brows furrowed once again.

"At least it won't attack us," he replied bluntly.

* * *

By the time noon rolled around the next day, Gladion had up and left to do more training. Which left _me_ alone at Kukui's, as he had errands to attend to. Something about a festival, and starter pokemon? I couldn't remember.

Donned in my least Team Skull-looking attire, I decided to take a walk to gather my thoughts. I had let out the vulpix again, wanting to at least give _her_ , as Kukui informed me yesterday, some exercise. She followed me dutifully up the sunny route, and passersby contemplated her existence quietly, finding it unusual to see an ice type on Melemele.

The tall grass spread out, further away from the dirt trail, as we closed in on Iki Town. It had been years since my last visit to the town. With a sense of longing tugging at my heart, I headed past the gate. The platform in the town centre was being decorated by the locals, probably for the festival Kukui mentioned. Others bustled around, moving decorations and food items, their pokemon helping with odd tasks as well.

Near the entrance to Mahalo Trail, a girl dressed in white looked around wildly for something, a litten at her feet doing the same. She clutched a duffle bag to her side as if her life depended on it, and before I could walk up to her to ask her what was wrong, she shot off onto the trail, with the litten on her tail.

Curiosity getting the best of me, I recalled the vulpix and decided to follow her. I had never hiked the trail before, and not being the most in-shape person in the world, I was breathing intensely by the time I made it to the top, to the bridge leading to the... Ruins of Conflict, if I remembered correctly. I could just barely hear the rushing river below the bridge as bird pokemon called loudly to one another. Bent over, hands on my knees in exhaustion, I took in deep gulps of air, wishing ever-so-much that I had a bottle of water handy.

 _I should really make a supplies list, before things get too convoluted._

I heard an exclamation, and stood straight as a pole, only now noticing the girl in white. She fidgeted, snapping the joints in her hand absentmindedly as her worried eyes looked toward the bridge, and then back to me. A look of determination crossed her face, and her hands moved to pull down at the hem of her dress.

"Please!" She called out, visibly shaking as the litten paced beside her, growling. "You have to help Nebby!"

I looked over towards the bridge, where her eyes were focused once again, and saw a small purple puff being attacked by a group of spearow.

A brief thought of _she has a pokemon, why doesn't she do it herself?_ crossed my mind, but I put it behind me, insisting to myself there had to be a reason, otherwise her or the litten wouldn't look so worried. I nodded, and made my way over to the bridge. A quick glance down at the rushing river below was all I needed to hold onto the rope railing for dear life as I took my first step onto it.

The bridge shook under my weight.

I froze, debating whether it was really worth it to save the purple puffball. Heights had never been my thing, and for good reason. This bridge was making my fear even more valid.

I took another tentative step forward, my knuckles going white from gripping the rope so tightly as I moved at a pyukumuku's pace. It took everything I had to continue forward as dread spat up like a geyser in my stomach. The wind pushed the bridge, making it sway back and forth as I finally stood before the annoying spearow. I shooed them out of the way, waving my arms wildly, and they backed off momentarily.

And then I heard a snap.

I grabbed the puffball, giving myself no time to think. Another snap, and then we were free falling.

I screamed a string of curses at the stupid bird pokemon as we fell. I dared not look down. I knew hitting the water from this height would be the end.

I could feel the spray of river water on my back, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

And then the wind was going the other direction.

When I opened my eyes, we were deposited back on land. The puffball hopped out of my arms and floated over to the girl, and I took the next moment to heave over the side of the cliff.

"The fuck just happened?" I choked out, backing away from the cliff side, and wiped the excess bile off my mouth. I turned to sit on the stable ground properly, and caught a glimpse of something yellow out of the corner of my eye.

"It seems Tapu Koko saved you," the girl replied, looking towards the sky in wonder. She then looked back towards me, puffball in her arms, a blinding smile on her face.

"Thank you so much!"

The litten pawed at me in curiosity, mewling its own form of thanks.

"Just... let's go back to Iki Town. Please."

* * *

I followed the girl - Lillie was her name - back to Iki Town quietly, contemplating the stone she gave me. It was from Tapu Koko, she had said. I doubted it, but continued to turn it over in my hand regardless.

I was surprised to see Kukui waving to us as we entered the town, two Iki locals standing beside him. The one, a young man around our age, raced over to Lillie, picking her up and swinging her around. She let loose a scream, and her litten hissed at him, letting out puffs of smoke. The pineapple head let go over her and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

Then he noticed me.

"Hey! I'm Hau, nice to meet you," he said, holding his hand out for me to shake. I did, hesitantly, still nauseous from the free fall. Kukui noticed my expression, introducing me instead.

The other local, an older man, took notice of the stone in my hand. "Where did you get that from?" I stared at stone, wondering the same thing myself.

"Tapu Koko gave it to her, Kahuna Hala," Lillie spoke up, voice soft yet certain. Hala held out his hand toward me, and I gave him the stone. Upon inspection, he let out an exclamation of surprise as Lillie explained what happened.

"It seems you've been chosen, dear," Hala said to me, looking me over, eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "I'll be able to fashion this into a Z-Ring for you. It will only take a day."

I nodded dumbly in reply.

"Have you any pokemon?" He asked next. I nodded again. Hala hummed.

"Both Lillie and Hau have been given their own starters today. The third may be lonely, staying with an old coot like me. Would you like to take him off my hands?"

I paused, fingering the four pokeballs already attached to my belt. One more may come in handy, though, considering I could only use Hibiscus around water.

"Yes, please, sir." I did my best to sound polite, given the circumstances. Hala laughed, and clamped his hand down onto my shoulder, patting me affectionately before releasing his hold.

"Wonderful! But it's only right to see if he'd like to travel with you, as well." He procured a pokeball and tossed it to the sky, and in a flash, a brown orb sat before me.

"A rowlet. Grass and flying types. This one is rather rambunctious, to boot," Hala declared, hands on his hips as he let out another boisterous laugh. The rowlet tilted his head, staring up at me. I crouched down to his height, and held my hand out to him like I did with the vulpix last night. The rowlet cooed, and instead of inspecting my hand, took flight and landed on my head, where he promptly went to sleep.

"Seems he likes you!" Hala exclaimed.

I laughed softly, wondering what the fuck I was getting myself into.

 _If they knew I was a Skull grunt, this would be the last thing to happen to me_.

* * *

After a few more undeserved kind words from the group, and a promise to come back in the evening for the festival, I headed back down the route. Plenty of trainers were out, now. I scratched the rowlet, who I dubbed Thanatos, affectionately as he sat on my shoulder. It didn't take long for a younger kid to run up to me, eyes shining, pokeball in his hand.

"Hey Miss! Let's battle!" He jumped up and down, hat nearly falling off his head in his excitement.

I shrugged in response, an "alrighty then" leaving my lips as Thanatos cooed.

He wasn't the only one we battled, and by the time we made it to Hau'oli proper, I had a nice wad of crash stored away. It was the perfect time to buy some supplies, and maybe some gum. I could still taste the bile in my mouth.

I bypassed the pokemon centre, intending to visit it last, and headed instead toward the convenience store I used to frequent back in the day. Thanatos shook excitedly at the sliding doors, waving his wings around, and I couldn't help but smile at the dorky pokemon.

The isles were just as I remembered them, and I lost myself to old routine, grabbing gum, a water bottle, and other much needed items. As I turned the corner into the next isle, my heart stopped as I saw a familiar head of greying blond hair wearing a hauntingly familiar outfit of blue and black. She was looking at the drinks behind the cooler racks as if they were the most interesting specimens in the world.

I backed away, slowly, hoping she wouldn't notice me, and ran to the counter to pay for the items. I said nothing, mouth clamped shut, arms shaking as my heart rate increased to unhealthy speeds. I only nodded to the poor cashier, who looked concerned for my well-being. Bag of items in hand, I ran out of the store, Thanatos clinging to my shoulder for dear life, talons digging into my skin.

I could feel the blood beginning to drip down my shirt, but I ignored it as I continued to run, sped on by pure adrenaline.

I was close to the pokemon centre when I ran into a warm and vaguely familiar object, and Thanatos hooted loudly. I looked up, and froze, when I noticed it was Gladion who was now holding onto my shoulders. His eyes were wide, and then they narrowed, a dangerous heat suddenly surrounding him.

"Why are you crying?"

I choked back a sob, only now noticing the tears streaming down my face, and shook my head. My throat was clamped up. I couldn't force a single word out, instead I only shook my head again. Gladion sighed, releasing me from his hold and running a hand though his hair, momentarily moving his bangs away from his face, before they fell back into place.

"Come on," his voice was softer as he moved to my side, and put a hand on my back, pushing me forward gently. "We're getting ice cream."

* * *

We sat on a bench by the beachfront of Hau'oli, Gladion holding both of our ice creams as I used a few tissues I was smart enough to buy to make my face not as awful looking. Once I regained a somewhat human appearance, I took my ice cream from him and took a bite, letting it relax my still choked up throat.

He visibly relaxed beside me, gaze focused on Thanatos, who was once again perched on my head.

"How did you get a rowlet?"

"Long story," I replied after a moment, my voice hoarse. I cleared my throat, and gave him an abridged version of what had happened earlier. His posture changed as I mentioned Lillie - he seemed more alert, more on edge, but I didn't ask. If he knew her, somehow, that wasn't my problem. Other than later this evening, I doubted I'd ever even see her or Hau again.

If I even decided to go.

Gladion didn't ask why I had been crying, or shaking like I just witnessed a murder. I was thankful of that, since I didn't want to have to explain myself, either. We sat in silence, eating our ice cream, enjoying the day before us, the breeze lightening the burden on my shoulders.

Tomorrow evening, Professor Krane would be here, and then we could figure out exactly what was happening in Alola. Hopefully he could get everything under control, and we could go back to our regularly scheduled lives.

I think, now, I should have realized that was wishful thinking.

* * *

I didn't bother going to the festival. That would probably net me a few brownie points to the trash, but I felt too much _like trash_ that night to bother. I was _exhausted_. I slept the following day away, too, on Kukui's couch. Both he and Gladion let me be, though, thankfully.

It was around five pm that I felt almost human again, and when someone knocked on the door. I was seated on the couch, at least decently dressed, and cradling a cup of coffee, when a man with light brown hair stepped through the door and shook Kukui's hand.

Light glinted off of his glasses as he spoke to Kukui, and machoke carried in boxes full of machinery and other items. I gave Gladion a look that I hoped conveyed a feeling of "what the hell is all that?", and he must have gotten the message, as he looked on and shrugged in response.

Krane turned to us, then, and introduced himself. We replied in kind, and I took that moment to hold up the vulpix's pokeball. "I managed to catch one," I told him, holding the pokeball out to him. He took it, and released the vulpix.

"Caught it? Was it not already owned?" He asked as he examined the pokemon, brushing its fur and checking its reactions to different things. It almost seemed livelier than it had the other day, but I could have been fooling myself.

"Nope. Wild shadow pokemon attacked us," I answered blankly. He hummed in reply, and stood back up.

He muttered something to himself, chin held in his hand. He then looked back to us. " _Wild_ shadow pokemon. Strange. I wonder how they control it," he mused.

* * *

"What nefarious teams are around these parts?" He questioned later, sorting through his boxes of supplies we learned were for a purification process of sorts. Kukui beat us to the punch, giving a quick overview of Team Skull.

We both flinched, not that Krane noticed any.

"I would say the same for Aether," Gladion said, looking pointedly in the opposite direction of the two professors. He held his fifth cup of tea in his hands, having been chugging it back all evening, from what I noticed. Was he stressed about something?

Kukui raised a brow at his underhanded suggestion, and I merely shrugged, having no way to add to the conversation. "I suppose they would have the technology," Kukui added. "Though I don't see why."

Gladion clammed up the rest of the night, looking more uncomfortable as the hours ticked by. As midnight rolled around, and Krane and Kukui began to set up the purification chamber in his basement, Gladion began to throw his items together. I looked over at him, somehow shocked at how frantic he was.

"I can scout ahead," he said, words hurried as he packed up. "You stay behind. You have my number; text me every and any update." Before I could even reply, he zipped up his backpack, placed his tea cup in the sink, and slung his bag over his shoulder.

He stepped into his shoes, not even bothering to put them on properly, and opened the door with a practised gentleness. I stood from the couch and moved closer to him, though I had no idea what to say. "And Sol?" He looked back at me, his expression wrenching my heart open. "Keep an eye on Lillie for me, okay?"

The door closed behind him, and a warmth I didn't realize I was accustomed to left with him.


End file.
